Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto is one of my very favorite meals, and honestly, I think it was one of my favorite things we learned how to make in school.  There are so many different things you can do with it. Risotto itself is a cooking method. It is a process in which you cannot walk away from, it takes a bit of time, but it makes it that much better when you are finished preparing it, and sit down to enjoy your creation.

Before beginning your rice, you want to bring your stock (any flavor will do, I usually use chicken stock) to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, making sure though, that the liquid stays hot at all times.

You start by placing a bit of oil in a saute pan, getting it hot at about a medium temperature, then you add in your rice dry.

Once your rice is browned a little, to the point where it has a nice toast on it, add one ladle of stock at a time. It is imperative that you only add one ladle scoop at a time, and do not add another until the rice has soaked up all the moisture. You also want to continuously stir this with a wooden spoon.

You keep adding ladles of stock one at a time, until the rice is cooked to your liking, I like mine with a slight crisp, not completely aldente though, I like mine a bit more done than aldente.

Typically risotto is finished off with Parmesan cheese. You would turn the heat off when you have reached your desired doneness and finish it off with the cheese.

For my risotto I like to saute onions, garlic, mushrooms, small diced red peppers, and sometimes shallots. I also added in bits of chicken to this one, I seasoned it with pepper, only about 1/4 teaspoon of salt (Anytime you use Parmesan, watch your salt content, because it is very salty) and with some garlic powder. Can you tell I LOVE garlic?!?!

This is seriouslly one of my favorite dinners, and it is so simple, it may take a bit of time and seem tedious because you can't leave it alone, but trust me, it is definitely worth making!

Also I love to use baby bellas best with this recipe, or a mixture of baby bellas and white mushrooms!